Fighter
by PhoenixDragon111
Summary: During a monthly outing with Lucius, Severus sees a new side to the Princess of Gryffindor. Will he like what he sees?


**Anti-Litigation Charm: **I don't own HP or the songs mentioned in this fic.

**:peeks around the corner: **Oh! Hi! I'm Phoenix, Nyxx for short. Welcome to my very first fanfiction! **:throws confetti and blows noise-maker:** I've been telling myself for _years _that I'd get up the nerve to publish something...well, lying to myself mostly. To be honest, the only reason this finally happened was because of this amazing group of women that welcomed me with open arms. So, this is for my Coven, and especially for my darling Dash for bringing me into the fold, without whom none of this would be possible.

**:curtsies and runs away:**

* * *

Severus still couldn't believe that he had let Narcissa talk him into taking Lucius out once a month to get him out of her hair. He could have been at home reading a book before the fire, but instead, he was out in the cold heading towards the noisy pub near his home. Narcissa was growing tired of Lucius always being underfoot, and it seemed that Severus was her solution.

"If you could just take him out one night per month, Severus, I'm sure it would be good for him. He's kept to the Manor ever since his release from Azkaban."

It was because of this he found himself taking Lucius out on this cold and wet Friday night. They'd been to practically every pub in wizarding Britain and they'd had to start venturing into the Muggle world. Severus braced himself and pulled open the door to the pub. He held the door open for Lucius and they both walked in.

It seemed especially crowded in the pub tonight as Severus made his way to the bar. He ordered their pints while Lucius went and found a table. Pints in hand, he ventured towards the corner where Lucius had stationed himself. As he sat down, he noticed a DJ in the opposite corner near a stage set up a monitor and microphone. Just as the DJ went to speak into the microphone, Severus realized that he had made a grave mistake.

"Alright ladies and gents, it's time to get those singing voices ready! I'll get us all started on this dreary Friday night with a little ditty by Sir Elton John."

The distinctive piano of Bennie & the Jets began to play, and Severus was contemplating how easy it would be to coax Lucius into leaving as soon as their pints were done. Severus sighed and sat back, prepared to let Narcissa know she owed him big time.

As the DJ finished up his song, Severus resigned himself to a night of drinking to blot out the noise of people butchering decent music and, somehow, making bad music worse.

"First up, we have one of our regulars. Please welcome to the stage...the lovely and talented Angel!" A slight woman with short, light brown hair made her way up to the microphone. The steady, percussive beat of the next song echoed through the pub and was joined by an electric guitar as the grey-eyed beauty began to sway her hips. Her sultry voice rose as she sang about a woman by the name of Maria. Severus noticed several male gazes directed her way and couldn't help but be slightly mesmerized himself. As her smoky eyes scanned the pub and her voice surrounded him, he thought that she had quite the stage presence.

The guitar and drums faded as the song came to a close and the entire pub applauded. The fae-like woman gave a cheeky bow and Severus' attention followed her back to her friends. It seemed as if it was a girls' night out judging by the crowd. He noticed another slight woman with short, dark brown hair get up and head towards the stage.

"Next up, we have another of our regulars. Let's have a hearty round of applause for Chela!" The DJ announced enthusiastically.

The twang of a pedal steel guitar rang out from the speakers as the woman began to belt out a Loretta Lynn classic. She had an American Southern accent and it seemed as if she were singing from experience.

From out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a woman with long brown curls sitting at the table with the other women. She looked vaguely familiar, but he could only clearly see the back of her head. She appeared to be having an animated conversation with one of the women seated beside her. As the acoustic guitar strummed its final chord, the DJ stood up.

"That was Chela with You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man). Let's hear it for her!"

The Southern Belle gave a slight bow and walked back to the table. She walked up to the curly-haired woman, put her hands on her shoulders, and bent down to whisper in her ear. The curly brunette shook her head but all the women at the table started nodding their heads. With a sigh, the slight woman finally nodded her head and pulled the binder of music towards her.

Severus felt sorry for her as he realized they had talked her into singing. There wasn't enough alcohol in the entirety of England that would make him get up there. The DJ announced a gentleman who stood up and walked over to the stage. The slow melody of a rock ballad flowed from the speakers and as the man began to warble, the entire pub began to cringe.

"Well," thought Severus, "They can't all be winners."

He turned back to Lucius, putting the atrocious singer and the table of women out of his mind for the moment.

"Alright, Luc, how has everything been since I last saw you?" He took a sip of his pint and waited while Lucius gathered his thoughts.

"Cissa is on the warpath at the moment," the blonde said with a sigh. Severus winced as he thought of his friend's wife's tendency towards histrionics.

"And what has offended her delicate sensibilities this time?"

Lucius took a breath. "Draco has refused to marry the youngest Greengrass girl and won't consider any of the other women she's paraded in front of him."

Internally, he was actually quite proud of his godson...it took a lot of courage to stand up to Narcissa about her overbearing interference in his life. Severus had been trying to be a better Godfather and a confidante to Draco since the war ended and he knew that Draco was hoping to find someone who could love him for who he was and forgive his past mistakes. As someone who had made their fair share of mistakes, he could understand that.

"I know that you and Cissa may have been an arrangement, but you grew to love each other before you had to walk down the aisle. Draco has grown up in the shadow of the war and had far bigger things to concern himself with than getting to know his 'intended.' I'm not going to speak against your wishes for him, but I do strongly suggest that you discuss all of this with your wife. It seems, in my opinion, that Draco deserves the chance to find his happiness just as you have with Cissa."

"I appreciate your candour, old friend. It will surprise you to learn this, but I agree with you. Draco came to me to discuss this before he broke the news to Cissa. I gave him my blessing but told him that he had to be the one to inform his mother."

Severus chuckled as he imagined the look of horror dawning on Draco's face as he realized that he would have to tell his mother that he would not be getting married any time soon.

The music faded to silence in the background but Severus was paying attention to his conversation with Lucius. His attention elsewhere, he didn't see the curly-haired woman get up to walk towards the microphone.

"Folks, we have a special treat for you tonight. A dear friend of several of our regulars has decided to grace the stage. According to Angel, she's going to be singing for the first time in public tonight. Let's have a warm welcome for the lovely and daring Hermione!"

Severus turned towards the stage at the name of the next singer and immediately froze. There on the stage was the former Princess of Gryffindor looking very different from how he remembered. Clad in a silver, short-sleeved, sequined crop top, a short leather skirt, and knee-high combat boots, this Hermione Granger was...something new. A piano and strings began to play.

"_After all you put me through, you'd think I'd despise you, but in the end, I wanna thank you, 'cause you made me that much stronger_"

His eyebrows rose upon hearing the opening lines. He searched his memory for what he could recall of the young woman's comings and goings. He vaguely recalled Minerva mentioning that she and the youngest Weasley boy had made a go of things but it didn't work out.

"_Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true, Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff time is up, 'cause I've had enough, you were there by my side, always down for the ride, but your joy ride just came down in flames cause your greed sold me out in shame_"

Maybe "didn't work out" was an understatement. If the song was any indicator, Severus was pretty sure it was a fallout of nuclear proportions. This song was personal. Even with his dismal knowledge of her life in the 5 years since the war, he could extrapolate a few things.

"_After all of the stealing and cheating, you probably think that I hold resentment for you, but uh uh, oh no, you're wrong, 'cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know, just how capable I am to pull through, so I wanna say thank you_"

Severus felt his pulse speed up as he watched her hips sway and a molten fire burn behind her eyes.

Lucius chose that moment to finally clue into who was singing on stage.

"Is that Potter's Muggleborn friend?"

"Yes. Yes, it is," Severus said as he glanced over at Lucius. His friend seemed rather surprised and a little bit intrigued at seeing the Gryffindor in this setting.

"'_Cause it, makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder, it makes me that much wiser, so thanks for making me a fighter, made me learn a little bit faster, made my skin a little bit thicker, makes me that much smarter, so thanks for making me a fighter_"

Granger's eyes were scanning the pub as she performed. Just as she finished the chorus of the song, she met Severus' eyes. A minute rise of her eyebrows was the only surprise she displayed. He had to give her credit, her poker face had vastly improved since Hogwarts. What he did not expect was the saucy wink she threw his way. What was she doing? Eyes glued to the stage, he listened as she went into the next verse.

"_Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing, just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game, I heard you're going round playing the victim now, but don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame, 'cause you dug your own grave_"

It would appear that the youngest Weasley was a selfish and jealous creature. One just had to recall the fact that he left her and Potter during the hunt for the Horcruxes during the war to realize that. He didn't take a subscription to the Prophet any longer, but he did hear a few things from Minerva or Lucius. He knew that Ronald Weasley was prime fodder for the paparazzi in the recent weeks. His vulgar display with whichever tart he could talk into his bed for the night clearly came at Granger's expense.

"_After all of the fights and the lies 'cause you're wanting to haunt me, but that won't work anymore, no more, it's over, 'cause if it wasn't for all of your torture, I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down, so I wanna say thank you, 'cause it..._"

That wink, the sway of her hips, and her sultry attitude had Severus on the edge of his seat. Her hair was a wild nest of curls and she had smokey makeup around her eyes. She looked...incredible. He didn't know how to handle this version of Hermione Granger; a Granger who was clearly a grown woman, an attractive one at that, who was confident in her looks. Feeling slightly lecherous, he shifted in his seat discreetly. Weasley was a complete fool. It had been too long since he last had cause to indulge in activities of a more carnal nature. Hoping he hadn't seen the wink and his reaction to it, Severus risked a glance at Lucius. No such luck. Lucius looked like the cat who's got the canary.

"Well, Severus, it seems that the Darling of Gryffindor has set her sights on you tonight. Whatever are you going to do about it? I know what I'd be doing if I weren't quite in love with Narcissa."

"Aren't you supposed to put up a token argument because of her blood status? Where is the Lucius that I'm acquainted with?"

"He's long gone, as are the times when things like blood status are acceptable reasons to rebuff an advance. It's been aeons since that Evans chit, so you have no decent argument. I say grasp the bull by the horns...or lion by the tail as it were."

"Luc, stuff it."

Chuckling, Lucius redirected Severus' attention back to the stage with a wave of his hand.

_"How could this man I thought I knew, turn out to be unjust so cruel. could only see the good in you, pretended not to see the truth, you tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself through living in denial, but in the end, you'll see, YOU-WON'T-STOP-ME"_

She looked fierce. There was no other word for it. After everything that she went through during the war and then Weasley's idiocy, she still presented a strong front. He was enthralled.

_"I am a fighter and I, I ain't gonna stop. There is no turning back. I've had enough!"_

Her eyes came back to Severus' and held them as she belted out the chorus again.

_"'Cause it, makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder, it makes me that much wiser, so thanks for making me a fighter. Made me learn a little bit faster, made my skin a little bit thicker, makes me that much smarter, so thanks for making me a fighter_"

The song came to a close and applause broke out over the pub. A Cheshire cat-like grin on her face, Granger curtsied and hopped off the stage. She walked back to her table of friends and was immediately surrounded. He heard her laugh and then the next person was called up on stage. He turned away from her table and brought his attention back to Lucius.

Lucius pounced immediately.

"Well, Severus, what is your plan of action?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't play coy with me, old boy. I know that you are interested in pursuing the woman. She's intelligent, courageous, attractive, and, clearly, not intimidated by you."

As Severus opened his mouth to bite out a response, a waitress walked up with two glasses and placed them in front of the table's occupants. He looked questioningly at the waitress who just turned towards Granger's table and pointed.

"Bourbon, neat, for the gentlemen. Someone's got an admirer. Top shelf."

Looking over at Granger, he caught her eye and she raised her glass. He nodded his thanks and she turned back to talking with her friends. He returned his attention to Lucius who had an amused smirk on his face.

"Unexpected," Lucius said as he took a sip of his drink. His lips turned up in a minuscule smile. "I'll give it to her...she has good taste in bourbon."

They continued to talk about their lives as singer after singer approached the stage and left. When it seemed as if the DJ was winding down for the night, Severus saw a flicker of surprise cross Lucius' face. He went to ask him what was the matter when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to look over his shoulder to see who had tapped him and came face to face with a silver sequined chest and bare midriff. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat. His eyes scanned up the body to meet the amused eyes of Hermione Granger.

"Professor Snape, Mr Malfoy, it's very nice to see you both," she greeted them cordially.

Lucius stood up. "Miss Granger, a pleasure. I was just heading out for the night. Please, take my seat."

Severus' eyes shot to Lucius in alarm. What did he think he was doing?

"I don't want to interrupt your evening with your friend, Mr Malfoy."

"Lucius, Miss Granger, and you aren't interrupting anything. I have to get back home to Narcissa."

Internally berating the meddling fool, he tried to convey his unease with the current situation by staring holes into the side of Lucius' head.

"Truly, my dear, it would make me feel better for running out on Severus if you were to join him for a drink."

Looking slightly bewildered, Granger relented. "If you insist. Please give my regards to Mrs Malfoy," Granger said as she took the seat that Lucius had vacated.

"Oh, I do," he said with a nearly-hidden smirk on his face. "I'll give Cissa your regards."

With that, he walked through the crowd and out the door.

"Why do I feel as if I've just been had, Professor?" Granger asked.

"I have not been your Professor for quite some time, Miss Granger. You may call me Severus. Now, to answer your question of why you feel as if you've been manoeuvred, the answer is quite simple. It feels that way because you have. Lucius is a master of manipulation," Severus disclosed.

"I see. Well, Severus, in that case, please, call me Hermione," she requested.

"Very well. Hermione it is." Severus noticed a small shiver go through her as he said her name. Interesting, he thought. "If you will indulge my curiosity for a moment, Hermione, what brings you out tonight?"

"Surely you've seen the news? The Prophet just will not stop 'reporting' about it," she said with surprise.

"I no longer take a subscription to the Prophet as I do not find anything they have to say worthwhile."

"We agree on that front. Well, on Tuesday, the Prophet broke the story that Ronald and I had broken up for good. Of course, the 'inside source close to the former couple' was Ronald himself. He made himself out to be a martyr and blamed me for his cheating and poor behaviour by saying that I worked too much and did not care about his emotional needs. Utter rubbish. He's had the emotional range of a teaspoon since we were in school. What the Prophet failed to report was that on Monday night, I caught him in our bed with one of his trollops. I was supposed to be at the Ministry late due to a last-minute case that was going before the Wizengamot Tuesday morning. I managed to get everything handled faster than I expected and stopped for takeaway for the two of us on the way home for a surprise. Well, he was sure surprised. Calm as a cucumber, I shrank all of his stuff into a box as he stood there trying to stammer out an excuse and kicked him out."

"Surely that is no reason to go to the Prophet to malign your character..." Severus questioned.

With a wicked smirk on her face, she said: "I may have charmed his bits into a balloon animal on the way out...and removed the tart's eyebrows."

"Ah. There it is. That would push him to stupidity. The dunderhead never could handle feeling inadequate."

Severus felt desire begin to stir in him as she took pleasure in her retribution. This was the Granger he'd only heard whispers of..the one who punched his godson in Third Year, branded the Edgecomb chit a "sneak" for life, and led that awful Umbridge woman into the forest to the centaurs. This Granger was intoxicating. Weighing the pros and cons of a dalliance with the Golden Girl, he came to the only sane conclusion.

"My unsolicited opinion is that I believe you dodged a bullet this week."

"I agree with you. We'd been leading up to this for a bit anyway. We were more like flatmates by the end. How about you? What brought Lucius and yourself out to the pub...on Karaoke night of all things? I was quite surprised to see you. Forgive my assumption, but it doesn't exactly seem like your scene. I imagine you spending your time at home with a Potions journal or a book by the fire over pub crawling."

"I'm intrigued to hear that your imagination strays to myself enough to have created a pattern. You are correct, though. I did not know that it was Karaoke night or I would have avoided this place like the plague. Once a month I do Narcissa a favour by getting Lucius out of her hair for a night. Tonight was that night."

He watched as a blush crawled across her face. It was certainly becoming on her.

"I can't be all that unhappy with your bad luck because it led to me running into you here. I enjoyed being out and about tonight. The girls spent the time before we ended up here building me up and telling me that Ronald wasn't worth any of my heartache. It's been lonely recently, but I know I need someone who is interested in similar things and won't resent me for being invested in my work. They made me feel like a vibrant and sexy woman and then when we got here, it felt good to get up on that stage and get everything out...to feel like an empowered woman who can take what she wants."

He caught a flash of mischief in her eyes as she appeared to be debating something. Appearing to come to a decision and nodding to herself, she went on: "You wouldn't resent me for my work, would you, Severus?" she asked sweetly.

Surprised that she appeared to be flirting with him, he decided to go for honesty. "I would not. You know that I take my work seriously and I would never hold it against someone else who does the same. Anyone who entered into a relationship with you expecting any different was not paying attention. You need someone who can stimulate your intellect. Someone who will take your needs into account. Ronald Weasley was not that person."

A coy smile appeared on her face and she leaned across the table towards him.

"No, I thought not. You need similar things, don't you? Tell me, Severus, do you have someone to keep your intellect stimulated, your...needs met," she paused and met his eyes, "...and your bed warm?"


End file.
